Disclaimer! I got a free ARC of this through NetGalley. I have not been promised anything in return for this review, although if people wanted to start bribing me to read their books, that would be ok too.
Kate Pheris has been a widow for a year, and has been sleep-walking through her life since her husband Matt died. Now her house has been sold, her and her daughter’s things are all packed and they’re all set to move in with her mother-in-law, who has all sorts of plans for how they’re going to get everything sorted out. Yet finally emerging from her grief, Kate realises that she doesn’t want to live with her mother-in-law, and she doesn’t want her daughter Devin to go to private school, forced to wear a school uniform and stifle her natural creativity. Having never really had to manage on her own, she’s not sure what she will do, but she’s sure that just settling for her mother-in-law’s plans are not it. When Devin finds an old postcard in a trunk in the attic, Kate is reminded of her great-aunt Eby and her holiday cottages at Lost Lake. Kate spent a few weeks there when she was twelve, and as she has only fond memories from the place, she packs up Devin and they go off to see if Eby is still there.
(…)
I’m a huge fan of Sarah Addison Allen’s earlier books, my particular favourites being Garden Spells and The Peach Keeper. Reading the acknowledgements for this book, I realised that the reason there was such a gap between The Peach Keeper and this coming out, is because the author has been struggling with breast cancer. I didn’t know that when I picked this book as my fifty-second book, and the one I completed my first Cannonball with, but now I’m so glad I did, because it’s extra appropriate. Cancer is a horrible disease, and I’m so glad that I can help collect money to fight it by reading books that I love and blogging about them for others.
The rest of my review can be found here. I’m off to correct more English essays and do my happy dance of achievement now.
Congratulations! Guess I know what I’m doing today – playing catch up on reviews.
Thank you! Having been behind on my reviews for weeks now, I forced myself to finish all of them so I can, sadly, focus on work for the coming 18 days. On the 29th, I will have handed in my term paper, all the grades for the kids have been set and officaially handed out and I can finally enjoy myself, as all that’s left for my graduating classes are oral exams and school trips.
With only it only being a month until the release of the next Outlander book I also need to catch up on my Diana Gabaldon. That’s at least a couple of thousand pages between me and the next book. Now that I’ve completed 52, I can read all the big fat books on my reading list. :)
I’ve finally had some down time the past week, but can’t wait till June when I’m really on vacation. Up until now I haven’t even wanted to look at classics, and figured from your schedule that you probably weren’t in a place for a Gaskell read along either :p
June is a great time for a Gaskell read-along. Let’s try to make that work. I’m not technically off work until the 20th of June, but really, in 10th grade, all the heavy lifting is in May, then I can pretty much coast through June. I’m also planning a re-read of Emma as I’ve been enjoying Emma Approved so much on YouTube.
18 days until my next Malin review!!! Well I guess it’s a good thing I’ve got a big stack of reading to hold me over till June. Congratulations on your cannonball and good luck with all the oral exams!
Thank you so much ! If you’re very lucky, I may have time for a review or two, but I certainly won’t have as much time for reading for pleasure in the coming weeks.
Congrats on your Cannonball!
Thank you! You’re nearly there yourself. In June I’ll finally be able to read the massive Brandon Sanderson books I’ve been putting off.
Congrats on your Cannonball!
Thank you!
Congratulations! And also: Curses! I old myself I had 2nd place in the bag! End of semester is a real bugger.
*splash* (that’s me cannonballing into the deep end of the pool for you.)
Thank you! You’ve been a very worthy competitor, and for a very long time, I was resigned to being fourth or even fifth to finish the race. But I’m too crazy competitive to let victory slip out of my grasp when I saw the chance to triumph. I’m sorry for you though, it’s been such a close race, and you’ve done such an excellent job with your reviews.
WOW! YAY YOU!
Thank you.
I tweeted my congrats, but here they are again: CONGRATULATIONS!
You did indeed, and I thank you. It feels good to be done with the first 52.
Yay! Congrats on your cannonball. Nice to complete (though I know you’re certainly not done done) with a book you enjoyed!
Thank you. Oh, I’m not done by far. I’m hoping to manage at least a double Cannonball by the end of the year, although I doubt I can survive another triple. That was pretty intense last year. My second Cannonball is also going to feature reviews of some real bricks as well, I’ve been putting off reading a whole bunch of 700+ page books. Soon I get my long summer vacation, though, and will have so much time to read (and catch up on a huge amount of TV).
I’m super late to the pool party, but congratulations!!! Good luck wrapping your semester up, too. It’s always a relief to get the grading done and the final grades sent off.
Thank you!